Whitwell, Craig: Poetics I for Unaccompanied Trombone

Here are the first three pieces in the overall collection of the Poetics. They are presented in the chronological order of their completion dates. These pieces are, for me, personal. They are concentrated and have what I like to think of as “internal assonance”. Musically, they should be approached with an appropriate elasticity of tempo.

These pieces are largely individual and may be played separately. Or they may be taken together as a set. Or they may be mixed and matched.

Craig Whitwell, born 1948, Santa Rosa, California. Began playing professionally in high school. BA, San Jose State University, studying trombone with Bob Szabo. MA, University of Pennsylvania, studying composition with George Crumb and Richard Wernick. Developed a long career in software engineering and didn’t compose during that time. Recently retired and began writing music again, picking up where he left off, for unaccompanied trombone.